Safe from Scars (COMPLETE)

17. Lights

He quickly pulls the truck off the gravel path and circles it around so we are now facing the direction we came from.

My body is still tense. I'm frozen not knowing how to react. I replay Trey's lesson of self defense in my mind.

"Babe, you can't just let guys hit on you all the time." His voice in my head.

We were our first party together as a couple, and he grew annoyed at all the unwanted attention I was getting. He pulled me aside to tell me.

"If a motherfucker eyeballs you and tries to make a move, you kick him in his nutsack as hard as you can, and come find me."

His voice echoes in my head.
Not the best advice to give, but I thought the gesture was sweet at the time.

I opt for a different approach and unbuckle my seatbelt, so I can jump out of this truck and run down the path as fast as I can when the time is right. I'm not even going to try and fight him, because I know he will over power me, easily.

"You can relax a little, Kali. I promise I won't hurt you." Roman laughs with a seriousness, and unbuckles his seat belt.

My body relaxes, but my mind doesn't.

"Sorry, I just don't do well in the dark, in the middle of nowhere, with strangers." I apologize, and bite my lip, staring out of my window.

I hear him start to laugh.

"Do you do this often?" He asks.
"Go out into the middle of no where, in the dark, with strangers?" he jokes and I shake my head.

"Nope. This is the first time I've ever done this. I swear."
Wow.
Nothing I want to say is coming out right tonight.

"Well..if you'd just relax a little, you'd be able to see why I like to come up here." He turns his chin toward the windshield, and my jaw practically falls from my face as I see it.

The cities lights. Millions of lights twinkling, so far away. We may as well practically be parked in the sky, sitting with the stars.
Everything looks so small from up here.
It's absolutely breathtaking.
I suddenly have the thought of building a house right on this mountain just so I can have this view, every night.

"It's so beautiful." I whisper, eyes wide still drooling over this view.

"Yeah..absolutely stunning." He replies.

But I can see in my peripheral vision, we aren't looking at the same thing.
His eyes and attention are on me.
And I feel myself blush, as he notices that I saw him.
But his smile never fades, and his eyes never leave me.

Slick.
Another point for Roman.

"So how many girls have you brought up here?" I ask turning my body toward him,
with a hint of sass but a smile to soften my attitude. A smile played across my face.
I wasn't going to let him think that I was gonna fall for his shit.

He laughed at the question.
Or he laughed at my little attitude.

"So? How many? How many fall for it and how many actually give it up?" I ask jokingly, not really wanting to know the answer.

He's been a good friend to me, and I don't want to ruin it.

"You're the first, Kali."
He said to me, eyes deep, staring into mine.

I snort and roll my eyes, crossing my arms in front of me.
"Suuuuureeee" I say, teasing him, like a child.

"I swear it!" He defends.
"You're the first person I've every brought up here I promise!" He's blushing, and grinning like a five year old who was just caught in a lie.